Higher fatty acid salts (soaps) generally have a satisfactory feeling of application on the skin and have excellent oil emulsifying properties, and therefore, higher fatty acid salts have been widely used as emulsifiers for cosmetic compositions and medicines. For example, cosmetic emulsions using soaps or combinations of soaps and nonionic surfactants as emulsifiers, are 0/W type emulsions containing approximately 3% to 30% by mass of oil, and are known to give a moist feeling to the skin.
Meanwhile, in cosmetic emulsions and the like, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been incorporated in order to impart taut feeling to the skin after application. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a composition in which predetermined amounts of a film-forming agent and an extract of fermented soybeans (natto) extract are incorporated, as an external preparation for skin which is comfortable to the skin, is free of stickiness, and gives satisfactory taut feeling to the skin. In this composition, polyvinyl alcohol is used as the film-forming agent.
Patent Document 2 discloses a composition containing predetermined amounts of a lower alcohol, spherical powders, a film-forming agent and an algefacient, as a skin cosmetic composition which has an excellent sense of tightening and excellent feeling of taut and yet is free of stickiness, and in which the state persists. In this composition, polyvinyl alcohol is used as the film-forming agent.
Patent Document 3 discloses a composition in which a carboxyvinyl polymer, polyvinyl alcohol or a derivative thereof, and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol are incorporated, as an external preparation for skin having, in particular, excellent skin tightening effects such as a sensation of coolness and tautness, and having satisfactory formulation stability.
As such, taut (or resilient) feeling can be imparted to the skin by incorporating polyvinyl alcohol into those compositions that are applied on the skin, such as cosmetic products. However, there has been a problem that when polyvinyl alcohol is incorporated into, soap-based emulsions such as described above, the skin after application has increased stickiness.